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A couple months ago I was having a conversation with friends - discussing the point of diminishing returns on rum, whiskey, and cigars. This reminded me of the moment I realized that while my first C60 was excellent (the best bike I've ridden actually) I felt like the amount it was better than other bikes I've owned was not relative to the delta in cost. While I already owned such a dream C60, and it wasn't like I needed to convince myself to fork over the cost of admission again, there's still something I appreciate about having something that's punching above it's weight - rather than justifying what it had damn well better justify. For instance, how many people are surprised when you say your $6000 frame rides really nicely? But how many people expect a Raleigh Militis to be every bit as good as a Felt F-series or Tarmac? (Spoiler alert: it is). When I was into sportbikes, before cycling, there was something immensely satisfying about showing up to the track on my 600 with street tires and destroying that Aprilia RSV-4 APRC with slicks.

There's the philosophical bit out of the way - but there's a practical driver as well. About a year ago, I decided "enough" with having more than one road bike. I want one bike that I'll ride anywhere I want to go. That means mostly pounding asphalt but never wanting to turn around if I can just find a little bit of gravel or dirt to connect and make a loop. It also means I was commuting to work almost every day over the summer which resulted in being run off the road several times, hit by a car, and threatened more times than I can count (once was specifically threatening to run over my bike). So I've set out to find something closer to that point of diminishing return (hopefully without passing it), and wanting a bike with clearance for 28s and no paint to mess up. Why not give titanium a try?!?!

We all know and love Ryan's T3 - but how often do you see a cool Litespeed? After reading about their factory and their process, I was convinced that they're easily deserving of being in the conversation about the best ti bike builders in the world. Sure, there's something super appealing about a small shop slowly churning out handbuilt customs - but how many of them are producing a 1000g frame? That doesn't happen by accident.
So after a few stray paths, the loss of a little (more) sanity, and a lot of searching - I snagged a new Litespeed T2 directly from the factory in Tennessee.

@glam2deaf - I've only got ~300 miles on titanium so far but I don't see myself going back to carbon anytime soon. Even riding the Lynskey it seemed to me that carbon is a more complicated solution to a simple problem. This bike feels VERY lively and explosive... And I also get more comfort? OK

@wr74 - this is still WEIGHT weenies. When Campy makes a <500g crankset for a native BB/PF30 I'll switch.

@juanmoretime - the cable stops on the head tube of the T2 and T1sl are removable. I was hunting for a deal on etap before building this up because I thought it'd be super clean. One ride on this setup with Campy though and I'm glad I didn't change. I typically cross my cables under the downtube because I think the cables look tidied at the bars. On the Lynskey I built up, I felt like my shifting was off so I opted to not cross this setup. Definitely an improvement.

Imaking20 wrote:@wr74 - this is still WEIGHT weenies. When Campy makes a <500g crankset for a native BB/PF30 I'll switch.

Campagnolo does sub 500g cranks ( same way as you measured yours ( without chainrings, bolts and pedal washers, without bearings as well ) ), but not dedicated to such f-----d bottom bracket standard like "whatever30" . I believe it won't ever happened. If your frame would have solid bb shell, like BSA ( which is easy with Ti frame ), you could use SR crank in BSA cups...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the main reasons to jump from CF to Ti is to avoid press fit BB, isn't it ?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would never order Ti frame with anything else than BSA.

Imaking20 wrote:@wr74 - this is still WEIGHT weenies. When Campy makes a <500g crankset for a native BB/PF30 I'll switch.

Campagnolo does sub 500g cranks ( same way as you measured yours ( without chainrings, bolts and pedal washers, without bearings as well ) ), but not dedicated to such f-----d bottom bracket standard like "whatever30" . I believe it won't ever happened. If your frame would have solid bb shell, like BSA ( which is easy with Ti frame ), you could use SR crank in BSA cups...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the main reasons to jump from CF to Ti is to avoid press fit BB, isn't it ?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would never order Ti frame with anything else than BSA.

Edit : Overtorque is "BB386" so long spindle crank.

Does my thread offend you for some reason? You're not wrong for not wanting press in BB. Just like I'm not wrong for wanting it. It's a lighter complete setup and using delrin press in cups I don't expect any noise. This is no different than the Pressfit82 BB in New Colnagos. Except I can use a lighter crank.

You ARE wrong with your assumption about why I'd go to ti from carbon and definitely about how I weighed my crank though.

477g all in. That's 15g lighter than my THM M3. And it will get lighter rings.

Last edited by Imaking20 on Sat Nov 25, 2017 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

For Ti frames, I'd only order PF30. You're dealing with a straight tube so it should be highly unlikely that the bearings will be out of alignment. It's a lot lighter and with cranks like SRAM Red, you get tons of ankle/shoe clearance.

I don’t understand the problem with some people, this is a place to show your build and feel good about it.

Imaking20, looks very nice and I hope it is exactly what you need it to be. Personally, I think you will have another carbon bike...just for the reason it’s fun to build and try something new. Enthusiasts seem to all be this way.

Nixster wrote:Great looking bike! Ti can look so clean when done well.Etap may have been even cleaner but I bet your set up is quieter

N

Etap may be cleaner, but the front and rear mech are HUGE. IMO,the cleanest builds are the current DI2 ones with bar end junction and thought after cable routing at the bars. That way, you visually don't have any more cables than etap (the 2 brake cables, the di2 that goes into the frame heat wrapped around the rear brake cable) and the mech's are more tiny. But SR mechanical remain a true classic, a perfect match for such a classy TI frame!! Well done!

Imaking20 wrote:@wr74 - this is still WEIGHT weenies. When Campy makes a <500g crankset for a native BB/PF30 I'll switch.

Campagnolo does sub 500g cranks ( same way as you measured yours ( without chainrings, bolts and pedal washers, without bearings as well ) ), but not dedicated to such f-----d bottom bracket standard like "whatever30" . I believe it won't ever happened. If your frame would have solid bb shell, like BSA ( which is easy with Ti frame ), you could use SR crank in BSA cups...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the main reasons to jump from CF to Ti is to avoid press fit BB, isn't it ?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would never order Ti frame with anything else than BSA.

Edit : Overtorque is "BB386" so long spindle crank.

Does my thread offend you for some reason? You're not wrong for not wanting press in BB. Just like I'm not wrong for wanting it. It's a lighter complete setup and using delrin press in cups I don't expect any noise. This is no different than the Pressfit82 BB in New Colnagos. Except I can use a lighter crank.

You ARE wrong with your assumption about why I'd go to ti from carbon and definitely about how I weighed my crank though.

477g all in. That's 15g lighter than my THM M3. And it will get lighter rings.